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NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving with no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered
by your warranty.
If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too
hot when you:
0 Climb a long hill on a hot day.
0 Stop after high speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3.
If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- DRIVE (D) or THIRD (3).
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about ten minutes.
If the warning doesn’t come back
on, you can drive
normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there’s still
no sign of steam, you can idle the engine
for two
or three minutes while you’re parked, to see if
the warning stops. But then, if you still have the
warning,
rwrl ojftlw engine ~-rnd get owryotw out of’
the vehicle until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but
help right away. to
get service
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3.1 L L82 (Code M) Engine
When
you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’
I1 see:
A. Coolant Recovery Tank
B. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. Electric Engine Fan
3.8L L27 (Code L) Engine
An electric fan under the hood can start up even
when the engine
is not running and can injure
you.
Keep hands, clothing and tools away from
any underhood electric fan.
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don’t
do anything else until it cools down.
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Page 191 of 340
The coolant level should be at or above the COLD mark.
If it isn’t, you may have a leak in the radiator hoses,
heater hoses, radiator, water
pump or somewhere else in
the cooling system.
I A CAUTION:
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Don’t touch them.
If you
do,
you can be burned.
Don’t run the engine
i€ there is a leak. If you run
the engine, it could lose all coolant. That could
cause an engine fire, and you could be burned.
Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
NOTICE:
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered
by your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on check to
see
if the electric engine fan(s) are running. If the engine
is overheating, both fan(s) should be running. If they
aren’t, your vehicle needs service.
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How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn’t at the
COLD mark, add a 50/50 mixture of clean
water (preferably distilled) and a proper antifreeze at the
coolant recovery tank. (See “Engine Coolant” in the
Index for more information about the proper coolant
mix.)
NOTICE:
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts. Use
the recommended coolant.
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When the coolant in the coolant recovery tank is at the
COLD mark, start your vehicle.
If the overheat warning continues, there’s one more
thing you can try. You can add the proper coolant
mix
directly to the radiator, but be sure the cooling system is
cool before you
do it.
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How to Add Coolant to the Radiator
NOTICE:
Your engine has a specific radiator fill procedure.
Failure to
follow this procedure could cause your
engine to overheat and be severely damaged.
1. You can remove the
radiator pressure cap
when the cooling
system, including the
radiator pressure
cap and
upper radiator hose,
is
no longer hot. Turn the
pressure
cap slowly to
the left until it first
stops. (Don’t press
down while turning
the pressure cap.)
IC you hear a hiss, wait for that to stop. A hiss means
there
is still some pressure left.
2. Then keep turning the
pressure cap, but now
push down
as you turn
it. Remove the pressure
cap.
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3. After the engine cools, open the coolant air bleed
valve or valves.
3.1 L L82 ((lode M) Engine
3.1L V6 (VTN Code M): There are two bleed valves.
One
is located on the thermostat housing. The other
is located on the thermostat bypass tube. 3.8L L27 (Code
L) Engine
3.8L V6 (VIN Code L27): There
is one bleed valve.
It is located on the thermostat housing.
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Fill the radiator with the
proper
mix, up to the
base of the filler neck.
If
you see a stream of
coolant coming horn an
air bleed valve, close the
valve. Otherwise, close
the valve(s) after the
radiator is filled.
5. Rinse or wipe any spilled coolant from the engine
and compartment.
6. Then fill the coolant recovery tank to the COLD
mark.
7. Put the cap back on the coolant recovery tank, but
leave the radiator pressure cap off.
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